A Torch in the night
by redlerred7
Summary: [AU] The setting is still the same but tech advancement is pushed back to 1920s-ish level of technology. Blake is an orphan who Roman brought to White Fang who are about to start a civil war. The two of them get caught up in the said war. Reviews are appreciated. Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
1. Prologue: Blake's kidnapping

**So, during Cody Talks Fanfiction: Story Time with Xekstrin, he mentioned a ship with Blake and Roman called Sephora (No idea why he chose that name). Long story short, I got an idea and now I'm writing it. Thank you, Codyknight22. THANK YOU /sarcasm.**

**P.S. I'm writing this because of the ship but this story will not be shippy. At all... probably...**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**AU: The setting is still the same but tech advancement is pushed back to 1920s-ish level of technology. Blake is an orphan who Roman brought to White Fang who are about to start a civil war. The two of them get caught up in the said war.**

**R W B Y  
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Vale. One of the most technologically advanced cities in all of remnant, second only to Atas. Within its walls is a bustling metropolis, filled some of the newest models of dust-engine machinery. The economy was booming and the people were content.

However, as good as what could be seen on the surface, what lies beneath was much less appealing.

In the lower ring, the city slums, there were surprisingly unsavory events taking place on a daily basis. Robberies, murders, kidnappings – Every night, the less fortunate citizens who resided in that part of town found themselves caught in those such acts.

One such person was a certain faunus girl. A cat-girl with black hair and yellow eyes...

**R W B Y  
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"Well, kid, this may just be your lucky day."

Blake found herself trapped in an alley one night. She was being chased by a man. A terrible man with an unnervingly charismatic voice. He was pursuing her for no reason she knew of and managed to corner her. She turned to face the man.

"Lucky, or unlucky. It fits either way."

Even in the darkness of the alley, Blake's night vision gave her sufficient detail so identify her pursuer.

"Listen kid, I have a proposition for you..."

He was wearing a pure white long coat, leather gloves, black slacks, and loafers. In his arms was a cane, in his mouth was a lit cigar, and on his head was a fedora. He looked far from poor so Blake had to wonder why he was in the lower ring in the first place.

"You don't like being poor, right?" He asked as he took a step closer. "I didn't either..."

What was he talking about?

Blake had nothing but a T-shirt, shorts and scarf on, but she had a weapon hidden from view. As the man took another step towards her, she hovered her hand over its handle, ready to take it out if the need arose.

"I was poor because the ones on top at the time didn't like me or my family. You, however..." He knelt down in front of her. "You're poor for another reason..."

Blake's back was against the wall but the man had his guard down. It was the perfect time to strike. She went for her weapon only to find out the it was no longer in its sheath.

The man pulled a knife from his pocket. "You dropped this." He said as he handed it back to Blake. "Tell me, kid. Do you like how you need to keep a weapon like that around if you want to feel safe?" He chuckled. "Not that it would do you much."

Blake sheathed the knife and looked at the man once more. "What do you want." She asked, voice laced with anger and tempered with caution.

"Straight to the point, I see. I like that..." The man stood up and turned his back to her. "My name is Roman Torchwick. You'll be working for me now..." With that he began walking.

Blake followed him out the alley. She didn't know what impulse drove her, but when Roman turned left upon leaving the alley, she turned left as well. She began following him. Why was that?

**R W B Y  
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Roman brought her to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the docks. The place was far from abandoned, though.

The supposedly empty and unused storage facility was alive with activity. There were faunus everywhere, all of them donning intimidating grimm masks. One such faunus was who Roman brought her to.

"Hey, Taurus! I've got fresh blood for you."

On one of the walkways near the ceiling was man with a black coat, grimm mask, and weilded what seemed to be a sheathed Katana. Upon hearing his name, the one called Taurus blinked out of existence and reappeared behind Roman.

"Gah!" Both Roman and Blake jumped when he teleported to their location. "For the love of- Look you mangey mutt, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that!?"

He looked at Roman, face unreadable through the mask. "Roman Torchwick... Don't you remember out agreement?"

"Agreement?" Roman deadpanned. "Oh, right. _That_ agreement. Yeah, sorry about that slur. Force of habit." He said, not sounding sorry at all.

The man said nothing and looked at Blake.

Blake had been watching the exchange with curiosity and was put off by the change in focus to her. "Uh... What do you want from me?" She managed.

"Roman?"

"Yes, Adam?" Roman answered with no interest in his voice.

"This is a little girl." Adam stated. "I asked you to recruit me able-bodied men and women. Not children."

Roman laughed. "Do you really think there are any more people willing to defect to your cause?" He asked. "If you wanna try and convince them, be my guest, but I've done what I can. Give me a break, why don't you?"

Adam once again stared at Roman. He looked at Blake again and smiled darkly. "Actually, I might take you up on that offer." Turning back to Roman, he began giving orders. "Since you decided to bring an untrained girl here, you're gonna be the one to train her. That clear?"

"Wait, what?" Roman began to argue but suddenly he felt the cold bite of steel on his neck. Adam had lunged forward with his katana, just stopping short of decapitating him. The blade had contacted the skin. One wrong move and he was dead.

"Is that clear?"

Not trusting his mouth, lungs, and throat to answer without the sword drawing blood, his gingerly raised his hand in a thumbs up.

Satisfied, Adam pulled the blade away from Roman's neck and sheathed it. "Make sure she's as good at fighting as you are. I don't want to be disappointed." With that, he disappeared, leaving no trace.

The entire scene had caused most of the other faunus to stop what they were doing and watch. There was a tense silence pervading the air in the warehouse. Blake felt like they were all grimm, waiting for the slightest movement to kill her. Roman, on the other hand...

"Well why are you people doing, just standing there? You've got jobs, don't you!?"

With that, the crowd of faunus dispersed.

Roman sighed. "Just my luck."

"What's going on?" Blake asked.

Roman looked at Blake with a deep loathing. He sighed and answered. "Well kid, you just got drafted to fight in a civil war. Welcome to the White Fang!"

**R W B Y  
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**So, how was chapter one? I may or may not have a regular update schedule for this. I still have two other on-going stories, not to mention a lot of stuff to deal with in real life. I apologize if the next chapter takes a long time.**


	2. A trek through grimm and darkness

**Chapter 2! And it's about five hundred words longer too.**

**R W B Y**

Out in the wilderness, there was a definite danger of grimm attack. The entirety of the White Fang held a deep loathing of the human race, or at least the humans who are in power. Because of this fact, the mosters of the night seemed intensely drawn to them for the entirety of their journey through the forest.

Blake had nearly gotten clawed to pieces by a pack of beowolves in their last encounter - and probably in the last encounter as well, and the one before that, and the one before that - she had lost count at that point. She wondered why they were trekking through the forest in the dead of night in the first place

Not that it mattered. She'd be wandering in the woods regardless of the reason. Roman would make sure of it.

Roman Torchwick. If there was ever a man that Blake hated, it was Roman Torchwick. He was dishonest, manipulative, cocky, and racist. In the two months they've been together, he had kidnapped her, forced her to take part in an upcoming rebellion, cruelly ridiculed her, and showed no mercy when he was "teaching" her how to fight. There wasn't a single redeeming aspect to him that the faunus girl could think of.

And yet she trusted him with her life.

When he had taken her from the streets, she had no where to go. She was penniless, homeless, friendless - she had absolutely no way to survive. She could steal, yes. She could steal, run, and hide. But that wasn't the way she wanted to live, nor would she last long while living that way.

While she may not have wanted to get caught up in a revolution, Roman had given her a home - a meal, a bed, and a roof over her head. He had given her people whom she might not necessarily call friends but were not her enemies. And most of all, he had given her something to strive for other than survival. She may not believe an uprising is the way to go about it but the idea of abolishing faunus oppression was something she could get behind.

But her trust also had other bases. It helped that the man had saved her from grimm on several occasions that night. Granted, he was also trying to save his own skin because he was responsible for her but the fact remains that Blake Belladonna would not have survived as long as she did if it had not been for Roman Torchwick.

"Don't get the wrong idea, kid." He said begrudgingly as he slammed the end of his cane down on the neck of a fallen grimm, killing it. "Once you're ready to fight, I'm home free. You are NOT allowed to die until then."

Blake clutched her knife tightly. It was not the first time she heard him say those words that night, nor would it be the last.

**R W B Y**

The destination they had in mind when they began their trek through the wilderness was, apparently, a large fortress hidden deep in the forest.

It was an ominous structure. There were a lot of knocked down pillars in places where it wouldn't make sense for pillars to be erected there. Similarly, there were a lot of circular slabs of rock embedded into the ground that were like stepping stones except they all led nowhere. The walls were thick marble, with small windows and wooden double doors. All of these had runes etched into the stone. Some of the characters were readable letters but most were symbols the Blake didn't know the meaning of. None of it looked remotely like the architecture from the city.

Why were they there? What was the purpose of risking their lives in a grimm infested forest to go there? All these questions swirled in Blake's mind as she fell in line with the other White Fang for their impromptu assembly.

At the front of the crowd, Roman was casually swinging his cane around as he addressed them. "Well, I'm guessing everyone not here is already dead. Anyone want to say otherwise?" He asked as he leaned onto his cane.

One faunus raised his hand. His mask covered his face but he was wearing glasses over them. Blake remembered him being called Perry. "Jim hasn't come back from taking a leak yet. He was with us when we got here."

"Is that so?" Roman smiled. "Do you want to go into the forest and check on him?" When he didn't get a response, he chuckled. "Didn't think so."

Blake could feel her heart rate quicken. They had lost a lot of people getting there. They needed that manpower for the upcoming battles. Was going there really worth all of those casualties even before the fighting began? She wasn't sure and knew she wouldn't be until she found out the reason they went there in the first place. She was certainly uneasy, though.

"Okay, a lot of guys didn't make it this far - I'm sure you're all very saddened - but we have business to attend to." Roman gestured to the various ruins around them. "Right now we're sitting in sort of 'safe zone' within this forest. It's thousands of years old and for some reason, the grimm don't like it here."

It WAS unusual for such an abandoned location to remain so vacant. Normally, when a place without natural grimm protection was unmanned for any period of time, the monsters would come and occupy it. It was not the case with those ruins. Upon reaching a hundred meters from the place, the grimm attacks ceased.

Blake looked to the crowd around her. Even with masks on, she could see than many of them were visibly curious as to why the place was safe. Turning her gaze back to Roman, she saw that all-too-familiar grin on his face - that grin that told her: "I have thrown the line and I know I'll get a bite".

"This place is actually an ancient dust mine and our task for the next few days is to secure it." He said as he turned towards the fortress behind him. "Not only that, this place is also a pretty easily defended location and will become one of our command bases once operation begins. That means you guys will be pretty busy in the coming months"

The crowd began murmuring. There was confusion as to what exactly Roman was talking about.

"In other words, you're all being promoted. You will be occupying this fortress and will be in charge of all mining operations and training any newbies we send your way."

At that point, the faunus were particularly delighted. They had taken the bait and Roman had reeled them in.

"Until I leave, I will be in charge. But once I'm gone, command will be given to Perry." He stepped forward and pushed the doors open. "Now, let's enter and make ourselves at home, shall we?"

**R W B Y**

Blake's room inside the fortress was small, dark, and quiet. In other words, it was perfect for her... almost. There was one particular reason she didn't quite like it as she normally would have and that reason was because she had to share the room with Roman.

She wasn't sure what it was that made the thought of sleeping in the same room with the man so revolting - she had slept with the other White Fang members before and it didn't bother her in the slightest. She held no delusion that Roman would defile her in her sleep, nor was she worried about any abuse she might encounter from spending the night in his company. In fact, she slept more soundly knowing Roman was nearby. But why did she feel so disgusted at the fact that she would sleep in the same room as him - with her on the bed and him on the floor? She didn't know but the thought kept her up that night.

"Look, kid, if you don't go to sleep right now, I'm making you go to sleep." From the corner of the room, Roman was sitting down on a chair, reading a book. As he said his warning, he raised his cane menacingly.

Blake blinked and said her first words uttered in nearly a week. "What are you reading...?" She asked.

Without answering the question, he closed the book and showed her the cover. Judging from the cover art, it was an old fairy tale book. "Want it? Go knock yourself out." He tossed the book in her general direction, completely under shooting. Blake had to lean forward to catch it.

It was then that Blake remembered that humans didn't have perfect night vision. The room was too dark to read and yet Roman had been pretending to read for some reason. She looked at the leather bound paper and then back to Roman. Why...? She asked.

Unfortunately, the question would remain unanswered. She opened the book to the first page. It read "The World of Remnant" by Mounty Oum. She knew neither the title nor the author and yet they both seemed so familiar. Deciding to shelve her thoughts for the next day, she began reading in the hopes that she would soon fall asleep

**R W B Y**

The inside of the Fortress was fairly bland. It was still the same rune-etched marble as was seen outside. Even still, Blake would miss the quiet echoes she heard thought the halls and the faint breeze that came with it. She had also grown to love her small dark room whose bed now seemed quite cozy and comfortable. It was a shame she had to leave after only a week of staying. As the two walked through the forest, bags filled with supplies, she couldn't help but wonder why they had to go.

"There are some people who just aren't fit for fighting." Roman said once they had put some distance between them and the fortress. "It isn't that they aren't competent. You'd have to be an idiot if you gave other idiots their own fortress to defend." He continued. "It's just that some are more useful for other things." He stopped and turned back to face the direction of the fortress. They were far enough away that the trees had obscured it from view. Even still, they knew where it was. Roman narrowed his eyes and a razor thin smile appeared on his face "And we'll definitely be making use of them..." He said ominously.

"Let's go..." He began walking once more, with a significantly faster pace.

Blake took one final look back. She couldn't see the ruins anymore and neither could she help but think: What were they going to be used for? Why was an ancient dust mine so important? Even staying a week there, she couldn't figure it out. It was likely that she'd never know.

**R W B Y**

**So, here we go. Some more stuff that doesn't really make sense yet. A lot of intrigue and what not. I REALLY hope I don't fuck this up...**


	3. Out of the loop

**Hello everyone. I give to you a short little update. I apologize for the length. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Edit: I accidentally uploaded the wrong file. There's new content at the very end of the chapter. Sorry guys**

**R W B Y**

Summer wasn't kind to those in the lower ring.

It was high noon in the Vale and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The sun's heat radiated down from the heavens, threatening to turn whoever was foolish enough to leave the shade into a dehydrated corpse. The streets were inactive - there was not a single person or vehicle out in the open. The shops were open and from through the window, many of Vale's citizens could be seen taking shelter from the sun. None of them seemed eager to leave.

It wasn't unreasonable to assume that the heat was the reason that no one was outside...

But it WASN'T the reason...

**R W B Y**

Blake looked tensely out the window. Avenue below would normally be abuzz with activity. Even considering the record high temperatures, the emptiness was unusual.

She couldn't blame them for wanting to stay inside. Heat aside, the White Fang had something cooking for that day and no one wanted to get involved. It was unfortunate that she was already in too deep to ever hope of doing the same

The faunus turned her gaze away from the window.

The room they had rented was shabby. The floor boards creaked, threatening to give in to the weight of anyone who walked over it. The walls were moldy - it was obvious even though people covered it with wallpaper. The bed was old and smelled of intermingled sweat - it probably wasn't washed in years. The bathroom was too disgusting for her to give an accurate description. She tried to open the door but the smell immediately made her close it - she didn't need to see what was inside to know that she wouldn't like it.

Overall, the state of the room made Blake question how the hotel managed to stay in business. If they didn't have business there themselves, she doubted anyone would be in the establishment at all.

And so, Blake stood in the unpleasant hotel room, contemplating her role in the White Fang.

She had been training under Roman Torchwick for over a year. She had accompanied him on several operations, like the securing of an ancient dust mine, recruiting of potential members from different corners of the continent, and procuring information from various sources. She watched and learned and soon she felt she was ready to take part as well.

Unfortunately, Roman had other thoughts. It angered her at immeasurable levels that the man had prohibited her from participating. It hurt her that he didn't trust her, even after fifteen months together. Everyone saw her as a prodigy - someone who would soon become one of the strongest and smartest in the White Fang's ranks. Why didn't he think that as well?

Then again, she couldn't really blame him. As a girl of fourteen years, Blake Belladonna wasn't exactly difficult to overpower. Nor was she as effective at carrying out orders as all the other members. Her particular skill set wasn't called for in most of their plans. They just didn't have a use for her yet. She just had to wait until she was needed.

Thus, she maintained her position in the shabby hotel room, waiting for Roman and the others to return from their operation.

**R W B Y**

The door knob turned, prompting Blake to conceal herself, clinging to the ceiling above the door. When she saw that it was Roman who entered, she dropped down and shut the door.

"How was it." She asked.

He pulled out a suitcase from under the bed. "It wasn't a failure." He answered curtly.

Whenever she wasn't participating in any of Roman's plans, she was kept deliberately out of the loop. Regardless of who she asked and how many times she wouldn't get any straight answers. She learned not to be so curious.

"Let's just say it wasn't as smooth as expected." He said cryptically as he opened the case and re-supplied on ammo. "Someone was being an idiot and got himself killed." He closed the suit case and walked back to the door. "Time to leave"

Blake nodded and followed him out, wondering what they did in their mission that day. Little did she know that she would find out soon enough.

**R W B Y**

_Last year, the White Fang went public, announcing their demand for faunus equality. Their demand was met with laughter and ridicule by the general public. One the morning after, several heavily armed faunus marched through the city and were met by the Vale police department and several government representatives. They gave them a declaration of war, stating that they would begin their attack in the afternoon and that civilians should remain in their homes. Sure enough, the White Fang slaughtered anyone in the streets later that day before they simultaneously stormed both the Vale City Police Station and City Hall. They had effectively taken the city._

_However, it only lasted a week as the military of both Vale AND Atlas stormed into the capital and retook it. The White Fang fled the city. Most of their men escaped but a fair number of them were left behind. They chose to end their lives rather than allow their capture. They were never seen again since that day._

_However, recently, there have been numerous reports stating that the White Fang was resurfacing. It was said that they were attacking cargo ships, freight trains, and supply caravans. Only time will tell what will happen next_

- Vale Inquirer Editorial, excerpt

**R W B Y**

**This was an unfortunately short chapter, wasn't it? There should be a few more chapters before the story actually takes off so please bear with me.**

**Edit: Sorry about that. I accidentally uploaded an earlier version of my work. Uuuuhg! I can't believe I was so careless. Please forgive me.**

**Reviews are appreciated. I'll have a new chapter should be up soon.**


	4. Her shadow and shroud

**From the title of the chapter you should be able to guess what happens. Enjoy if you can. If you can't, then sorry...**

**R W B Y**

Blake stood in the middle of a large crowd forming a circle comprised of her fellow white fang members. They were all looking at her expectantly. She remembered when seeing those grimm masks stare had paralyzed her with fear. Now, they filled her with envy. It wouldn't be long before she would be donning a mask as well.

Directly in front of her was the reason she was there. The one who had taken her away against her will, yet had given her a home. The man who tormented her, yet remained at her side. The man who had pushed her forward yet now stood as an obstacle in her way. The man who she had trained under for three years.

"Roman Torchwick" Words were not heard from her often but the name escaped her lips with ease. She stared at him with cold determination. "This time for sure..."

Roman tipped his fedora. "Well kitty cat, how many tries does this make? I've lost count." The smug smile on his face made Blake eager to attack him.

His posture had him standing lopsided, leaning on his cane. She could catch him off guard if she attacked right then. With one fluid movement, she used her semblance to lunge at him.

Of course, he managed to dodge her. Ever since Blake figured out what her semblance was, she had started using in in all of her sparring matches with Roman. He probably learned how to deal with it.

**R W B Y**

Amidst the constant drone of rain drops hitting the roof, the sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the warehouse. Roman and Blake were sparring once again, and for once, Blake was on the defensive.

Normally, Roman just stood there and she was tasked to take out the feather on his hat using any means necessary. Today, however, she was treated to a different training session in which she was supposed to defend herself for as long as possible. She wasn't doing very well and the fact that her knife was only a third the cane's length did not help.

Roman's cane stuck her hand, causing her to lose grip on her knife. By reflex, Blake clutched her hand in pain. She ducked under a punch and rolled to the side to dodge a downward swing.

"I sprained my wrist!" Blake shouted in hopes that Roman would relent. Those hopes were shattered when he kicked her side.

"I unlocked your aura weeks ago" Roman deadpanned. "You've got the means to fix that, don't you? Use it, kid!"

Blake grit her teeth and closed her eyes, concentrating on meaning her hand. That concentration was broken, however, when she felt another kick to her side, knocking her down. As she struggled to get back on her feet, she looked up at Roman who stood in front of her, hands behind his back, face not amused.

"Tell me, kitty cat, what kind of idiot would close her eyes and sit still while the enemy is right in front of her?"

The faunus girl grimaced. She had to admit, it was a stupid move. But still, he could have at least let her fix her wrist before he attacked.

"Do I look like I care about your wrist?" Roman chuckled. "Listen, kid. Right now I'm one of your enemies. I'm not gonna soften my blows just because you're injured."

As Roman advanced once more, Blake made a leap for her knife. She felt something hook her ankle, causing her to fall face flat on the floor. She rolled away before a follow up attack could be dealt. Before she could stand back up, another kick hit her shoulder.

Blake doubted she could take any more hits. Her body was at its limits. She needed some breathing room. Unfortunately, she was not getting any as Roman was already upon her, cane raised for a downward swing.

She knew that would end it. She was exhausted from all the bruises she was healing herself from. An attack like that would mean the fight was over - even if she managed to recover from the hit itself, she'd be too tired to move.

Blake was ready to take the hit and give up. Imagine her surprise when time suddenly slowed down and she was pushed backward. In front of her, a hazy replica of her suddenly appeared and took the hit. After that, everything turned black.

"Well, kid, you certainly surprised me with that."

She opened her eyes and found that she was lying down on a bench. Next to her was Roman, sitting legs crossed while smoking his cigar.

"That was a pretty interesting semblance you got there." He commented. "Using some sort of shadow clone to take the hit for you. That took me off guard"

She didn't understand what he was talking about. Her head ached too much.

"You might want to keep resting. I hate to break it to you but your aura is zilch. You're gonna have to heal the normal way until you've recharged you aura."

She just nodded and drifted back to unconsciousness.

**R W B Y**

Back then, it took everything she had to use her semblance. Now, it was second nature to her. But still, Roman had dodged her tackle and was smiling at her.

"I totally saw that coming, dear. Try to be a bit more creative." He said, leaning forward, hands once again behind his back. "Shall we try again?"

Blake's face remained impassive but, under that emotionless mask, she was extremely annoyed. He always enjoyed silently mocking her with his all too favorite facial expression. She wished she could suppress her anger and ignore him but the smug grin on his face made it difficult.

They circled each other, both staring intensely into the other's eyes.

Blake looked at the feather on Roman's hat. Her objective was still to pull it out. Even after two years of trying, she had yet to succeed. This time, however, she knew she would do it. She HAD to.

She crouched, lowering he center of gravity. Her hand moved to the handle of her new weapon. It had been only a month since she had made it, but she never felt better using a weapon than she did with Gambol Shroud. A weapon she was comfortable with was the key to defeating him.

She lunged at Roman once more.

**R W B Y**

"And what are you doing?" Roman asked accusingly.

For days, Blake had been tinkering with various weapon parts, ranging from gun components to stretchy ribbon material. She wanted a personalized weapon like Roman had. She tried to keep it secret but it was only a matter of time before he found her at the crafting table working on her little project.

"A personalized weapon... Well, you may have some trouble there." He casually swung his cane around in circles. "My Melodic Cudgel took me years to to design on my own. You're gonna need some help if you want one that's effective"

The faunus girl looked at him curiously. Was he offering his assistance? She tilted her head in question.

"Look kid, don't ask questions. Do you want my help or not?" He deadpanned. Blake nodded. "I thought so."

He pointed out several flaws in her weapon's design and made a couple suggestions that he thought would made it better. In the span of hours, the two of them had finished the design and Blake was happy with next few days, Blake began working on actually making the weapon. Of course, Roman help her too. By the end of the week, she had finished construction.

**R W B Y**

Her weapon was a a three foot sword with a .45mm pistol for a handle. The blade was jointed, allowing it fold backwards for when she threw it at enemies. A stretchy ribbon was wrapped around the handle so she could whip the blade around after she threw it. It's sheathe also had a handle and had one end sharpened, meaning she could dual wield when necessary.

That said, when Blake's initial stab was deflected, she followed up with a diagonal cut. That too was blocked.

She hadn't completely mastered the art of dual wielding. Since she'd be holding the two blades with one hand each, she'd be able to dish out a flurry of attacks in quick succession. Unfortunately, her left arm wasn't quite as used to handling a weapon than her right so she couldn't overwhelm Roman with a frenzy of slashes. Still, the extra two feet in length when compared to her old knife was a welcome addition.

The two's weapons locked. Blake tried desperately to push Roman back but her attempts were in vain as he didn't budge. The man kept smiling as he looked her in the eye.

"Do you really want to take part in missions so badly?" He asked, pushing Blake back a step. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised." With one final shove, Blake was knocked back several steps. "I never really think you had your own beliefs. It was inevitable you'd embrace the White Fang"

She glowered at Roman. He was the reason she joined the White Fang in the first place.

With surprising ferocity, she leaped towards him swinging the sheathe downward. It was blocked. She slash upward with the sword. Deflected. She spun and attacked with a diagonal cut. Blocked again. She dashed forward for a stab with her sword. Dodged. She let go of the sword and dashed back for a slash with the sheathe. Deflected again. She tugged at the ribbon, pulling the trigger on her sword. It boomeranged toward Blake who then ducked low and dashed forward. Roman parried the blade flying towards him but was unbalanced by the faunus that slinked under him.

There. Blake saw it. Roman was stumbling forward. She had a chance to get the feather.

She dashed towards him once again hoping to pin him to the ground only to feel the end of his cane thrust at her stomach, causing her to drop her weapons. Roman had regained his balance by putting his foot forward and crouching low. He then extended his weapon behind him. Blake ended up charging straight towards the cane.

Winded, the raven haired faunus stepped back, arms wrapped her stomach. Roman took this opportunity to swing upward with his cane. It made a solid impact to Blake's jaw and the was knocked to the floor.

Lying on her back, Blake watched as Roman casually walked over to her and let the end of his cane rest on her collar bone. "That was a nice try." He said. "It was close. The closest you ever got." His smile wasn't the same as it usually was. It actually looked like he was just a bit proud of her.

Blake managed a weak chuckle "Close...?" She raised an arm that was wrapped around her stomach and there was a feather in her clenched fist. "I win..."

Roman smiled wryly. "A sly little feline, aren't you?" He raised his cane from her collar bone and began walking away. "You win. Congratulations." He conceded. "You'll get what you wanted. I hope you don't regret it."

Blake struggled to sit up. Once she was upright, she looked around her. The other White Fang around her were looking at her in awe. Even Adam, watching from high above on the walkways had an impressed smile. One of them cheered. Then another. Then another. Soon the warehouse was filled with a roar of approval by the various faunus.

In the middle, Blake sat there, unsure about what she should be feeling. She feels happy that she managed to beat Roman, but for some reason, she didn't feel as happy as she thought she would be.

Why was that? She finally had the right to partake in missions. She was finally, for all intents and purposes, an equal to everyone there. She should be ecstatic... So why wasn't she?

**R W B Y**

**This was a fun little chapter to write but I consider this to be one of my worst chapters yet. I don't know. I just REALLY don't like the way it turned out. I've rewritten this three times over and I doubt I'll ever be satisfied.**

**Remember when I said that this AU would have 1920-ish technology? I haven't exactly done good on that yet. I'm working on it. My problem is that majority of the weapons in RWBY already have a 1920s equivalent so they won't be all that different. I'll need a different way to accommodate that period's technology.**

**Follow, favorite, and review if you want. Expect another chapter soon**


	5. A train full of casualties

**As with the previous chapter, the title hints at what happens.**

**R W B Y**

Thousands of leaves red, like roses, dwindled in the night. The last rays of light that filtered through the vast amounts of leaves that the autumn breeze had stirred would soon be extinguished as the sun faded into the horizon. Deep within the forest, the premature twilight of the overgrown trees eventually gave way to genuine darkness.

From within the shade of the forest, leaves rustled yet remained ever silent. A shadow jumped from tree to tree, serene and graceful as it leaped and landed. None of its foot falls made even the slightest noise. As it made its way into a clearing, the faint silver moonlight shined down upon it.

As Blake made her quiet landing, two other dark figures emerged from the forest. She stood and looked at them, long raven hair flowing in the chilly fall breeze, pale yellow eyes glowing in her impassive stare.

Adam Taurus walked forward, mask still concealing his face. For the three years Blake's known him, not once had she ever seen him unmasked. As curious as she was so see his true face, the air of mystery around the man all but made up for it. She knew that if she saw his face, that mystery would be gone. Not that it was his only feature. The stoic was quite tall and his body physically fit. There was a commanding aura to his every action. It was obvious as to why he was the leader of the white fang.

Then there was Roman Torchwick.

He looked pretty much the same as when she first met him but he had gotten a new suit and fedora. She doubted that it mattered what he was wearing but she had to give the man credit - he knew how to keep his clothes clean even in the wilderness. His cane was still swinging casually in his hand and a smile still formed smugly on his lips.

She blinked at Roman and then slowly turned away. Even until now, Blake hated that smile.

"So, Taurus, mind telling me why I'm here?" Roman asked in the most sarcastically polite manner he could.

Adam stared at him and responded. "Three trains are en-route to Vale city. Intelligence told us that two of them are fake while one is real. We, along with two other teams will raid these trains simultaneously." He explained. "I expected you to know this already."

Roman sighed as he leaned on his cane. "Oh shut up. You know what I mean" Dropping his polite facade, he asked again. "I know why I'm HERE. Just, WHY am I here?"

Adam smiled. It was neither amused nor genuinely happy. It was just a smile. "You should know the answer to that already" He turned away from Roman pausing for less than a second as his gaze passed over Blake.

Roman glanced at Blake and a look of displeasure appeared on his face. "Of course. Should have know..." He muttered.

"We still have some ways to go before we reach the tracks." Adam said. "Let's keep moving"

"Right..." Roman sighed.

With that the two jumped back into the darkness of the forest. Blake followed them both.

**R W B Y**

They heard the train before they saw it. As the three traversed the woodlands on the outskirts of Vale, a distant roaring of an engine told them they were closing in on their target.

They leaped out of the trees, landing just short of a sheer drop.

"There it is..." Adam said, looking over the ledge.

From their vantage point on the cliff, they could see the military supply train rapidly approach them. As it sped across the tracks, smoke billowed from its engine, leaving a ghostly white trail in the night sky. The emblem of Atlas was painted clearly on the vehicle's side.

"Torchwick. You and Belladonna will head to the engine and stop the train."

Roman eyed the train as it neared them. Blake saw hints of a smile twitch on his face. He must have been excited. "And I assume you're gonna keep them occupied?" He asked

"That's the idea." Adam answered.

They jumped once the train was directly below them, all three of them landing simultaneously. There was a quite conspicuous dent where they impacted the train's roof. Whatever occupants inside that car would definitely have noticed this.

"Remain hidden. I'll draw their attention." Adam kicked open hatch and jumped into the car. Several shouts by the guards followed shortly.

"Well, Kitty cat, time to go." Roman winked at Blake and began jogging to the front of the train. Blake followed suit.

**R W B Y**

Blake was confused as she and Roman made their way to the engines. The man was not light on his feet yet none of his steps made a sound. It would have made sense if he were a faunus. If he were part cat like she was, it would be natural for him to be that quiet. But he wasn't. Still, his foot falls were so silent that he might as well have been a faunus.

When they reached the front of the train, they dropped off the roof.

The engine room was small. There was a large pile of dust crystals in one corner and a fire burning in the engine. The two occupants of the room didn't seem to notice they had entered.

"I'll take them out" Blake said as she touched the handle of Gambol Shroud. She was just about to unsheathe her weapon when she felt Roman's hand on her shoulder. She stopped and turned to face him.

Roman lightly tapped his finger on the tip of Blake's nose and shook his head. "Cut the link." He whispered, gesturing to the train link at the back of the engine.

With a single slash, the train cars were disconnected. The engine continued on, leaving the rest of the train as it slowed down. Once enough distance was put between them and the engine, Roman raised his cane and opened fire. The engine exploded in a brilliant flash of red.

Blake looked warily at the far away wreckage, knowing quite well that those two manning the engines were no longer alive.

Why did he kill them? More importantly, if he was going to do that anyway, why didn't he let Blake take them out herself? She wanted to know the reason but when she looked questioningly at Roman, he simply glanced apathetically at her before turning away and entering the train car.

Blake clenched her fists and followed him, fuming in silence.

**R W B Y**

Roman stood in front of the door to the last train car. He paused and muttered under his breath.

Blake didn't quite catch that. "What?"

He turned around and looked at the faunus grimly. "I don't think you'll like what's in there..." He said "It's your choice if you want to follow me in, but don't blame me for anything you see..." There was a certain sense of finality in those words.

Blake just stared at him in confusion. What was he talking about? Roman opened the door and entered and she entered as well. She realized what he meant the moment she saw the inside of the train car.

Red streaked supply crates and dismembered corpses littered the train. The metallic smell of blood filled the air. At the center was Adam, standing over his victims with a look of absolutely no remorse.

Blake was well aware that the White Fang had killed people in the past - she was ready to take part in the killing herself, even - but what she saw was her first experience of what it meant to take someone's life.

Her mind went back to the engine that Roman had blown up. She felt nothing when the two went up in flames. Now, looking at the many other casualties of this mission, she felt wretched. She felt absolutely terrible and she wasn't even the one to kill them. What more would she feel if Roman had not stopped her earlier?

"Take a good long look, kid." Roman whispered, chuckling softly. "Sooner or later, that's something you're gonna have to do. I hope you're ready when that time comes."

But how would she know when she's ready? She thought she was ready mere minutes ago. Now, the very idea repulsed her like nothing else. Did she even WANT to be ready? Roman said that it was something she'd eventually have to do but what if she never wanted that time to come?

Why was she even asking these questions? After only three months working with the White Fang, were her loyalties going to sway already? Just because of the sight of blood? She was stronger than this, right? Right...?

Blake stared impassively at the horrific sight before her. She had so much she wanted to say - so much that she could just scream in tears - but she kept it in. She remained silent as Roman and Adam conversed.

"Well. You certainly went wild, didn't you?" Roman laughed. "Absolutely feral."

Adam looked at him and grunted. "Start checking the cargo." He ordered. "Now."

"Whatever you say, Taurus." Roman said with a lazy salute. He began walking out the train car, passing Blake on the way to the exit. "Kid, with me. We're doing an inventory."

Blake was slow to react but she followed.

**R W B Y**

That night, three different trains carrying ammunition and various other military supplies were attacked and taken simultaneously. The White Fang acquired not only the supplies but also a certain object being transported on one of the trains. They were very pleased with that they got.

**R W B Y**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed that. It seems that this story's pacing is pretty slow regardless of me actively trying to move along with the plot.**

**I have a concrete idea of where I want this story to go but I'm still sort of lost on what I'm supposed to write for the next chapter. I have something planned but it may take several chapters before it happens. I hope you stay with me until then.**

**Review if you want to. The mere fact that you read this story means I appreciate you immensely. A new chapter will be up soon.**

**See you next update, guys.**


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